Lie By Omission
by CJFAA
Summary: I should have told her the truth then maybe things would have gone better. I would have at least had someone by my side when my world started to fall apart. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

"Ana for this to work we have to be honest with each other." Christian implores.

"Honest," Ana asks. He lied to me at the first given opportunity and he's talking about honesty.

"This is about honesty and trust." He said with his panty-dropping smile, he was going to use every arsenal at his disposal.

"I find that hard to believe since you lied to her at the fist given moment." She barked.

"What! Ana, I've been nothing but honest." He said perplexed. He was beginning to realize he'd mistaken shyness for submissiveness.

"Okay then… let's try this again." She turned those incredible blue eyes on him, it was unnerving. "Are. You. A. Sadist?" He knew he'd lost her; he had to think fast if he stood any chance of salvaging this evening. "From your silence I'll say it's a yes." She got up and made her way to the elevator. He had to say something. "Could you have Taylor take me home?" She asked with barely disguised annoyance. No, no, no if she walks into that elevator I've surely lost her he thought.

"Ana… yes, I lied…" Shit. "I'm a sadist." He resigned himself to be as honest as possible. Maybe if he told her a little about himself… anything other than why he was a sadist.

* * *

"15… you were 15. That is so wrong she's a fucking pedophile." God this is going all wrong he thought.

"No, no she helped me." He defends.

"WITH WHAT?" My god he is fucked up. "You still can't be touched, you can't sleep through the night, you are clearly not happy despite all this money. Tell me how in god's name did she help you." What an infuriating woman, fuck maybe it was best to let her go.

"You don't understand." He snaps not meaning to, he had to make her understand.

"You are right I don't. I don't understand how you can let the woman you said saved you, a woman who has dedicated her life to helping children have a pedophile for a friend. What did your mother do to make you hate her so much." Her impassioned speech made him feel rotten.

"I don't hate Grace, she saved me…" The anxiety was coming off him in waves.

"And you repay her by having her believe her best friend helped her son through hard work. What kind of person does that? If that is your idea of love god help the people you hate."

"I take it your answer is no," He asked sarcastically. Right now he wanted her gone, this was a huge mistake. He should have listened to his instincts.

"You goddamn right it's a no." She snorted.

"TAYLOR," he yelled. He saw the disgust in her eyes, and it ripped through him. She stirred emotions in him he long thought incapable of feeling. "May I remind you signed an NDA?"

"No you don't, I don't want to be associated with anyone who thinks pedophilia is a good thing." Now he was angry. He'd always known he was a monster but to have this slip of a girl point it out to him angered him. He could work with anger, anger was good, it has been his friend for years he thrived off anger.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" He bellowed feeling like himself again.

"I know who I am, do you? Because from where I'm standing I can see through that false bravado you are wearing. Deep down you know the way you were introduced to that lifestyle is wrong. I would go as far as say so are your reasons for practicing. Why else would you go through such great lengths to hide it? I'd give my right hand to say you live in fear of people finding out that Christian Grey is a deviant who thinks pedophilia is a good thing. You are ashamed of it and yet you stand there defending it, albeit a rather poor defense, a clear indication that you do not believe the bullshit you are feeding me." Fucking hypocrite she thought.

"If I never see you again it will be too soon." With that elevator doors close and he stands there speechless. What happened to the dominant? What happened to the CEO? He just stood there and got his ass handed to him by a college student.

* * *

Flynn's jaw was on the floor, probably unhinged because he had trouble shutting his mouth. A college student, a slip of a girl as Christian referred to her had tore through him like a meat in a grinder. "How do you feel about what she said?" He asked after he managed to compose himself.

"If I knew I wouldn't be here." He was lying, but right now he couldn't admit to himself or anybody else that Ana was right, not about Elena, he would never throw Elena under the bus. So why wasn't he shouting about it from the rooftops? Why wasn't his practice of BDSM open?

"You don't know or don't want to admit it's true." Flynn countered.

"Oh so now you believe I'm a sadist," Christian remarked with a smirk.

"No I'm not talking about what you said, I'm talking about what the girl said. What is her name? I can't keep calling her the girl."

"Do." Was all he said.

"I don't believe you are a sadist, this is a choice, your choice. You simply refuse to see your life can be different. Your need for control is controlling your life and don't see or you do and simply bury your head in the sand. You have to come out for air at some point." Flynn said with a smile. Christian's head was already out of the sand, but Flynn wasn't stupid enough to tell his client and friend only for him to stick his head back in.

Christian left Flynn's office not haven't learned anything new from before he went in. Ana had shaken him up, but he was going to forget her and carry on with his life.

* * *

"It had been seven months since his encounter with Ana and she wasn't as easy to shake off as he had hoped. It took him almost three months to step back into his playroom and even then he didn't get the same thrill he got from before Ana. That girl had bored her way into this brain and wasn't leaving. He still had the subs except he couldn't perform, he punished them, but that was all it was. He took out his anger on them; he got no control from it and certainly no pleasure.

"Sir." Taylor interpreted his thoughts of Ana.

"Yes Taylor what is it?" He muttered wearily. Hell because of Ana his relationship with both Taylor and Gail was suffering. They barely spoke to him, he knew they hated Elena but knowing the reason and Christian's refusal to cut the woman out his life had greatly impacted their relationship. So it was quite odd to see Taylor with a Cheshire grin.

"Elena was arrested his morning."


	2. Chapter 2

Anastasia Steele was incensed in fact she was more than incensed. Who the hell did he think he was? She found herself wondering why she was ever attraction to that pathetic excuse for a human being.

She hated being reminded of another pathetic excuse for a human being and Grey had just done that, hell she didn't talk to her own mother for that very reason.

Ana understood more than Grey would ever know. But what she also knew was that no matter how brilliant or expertly anyone had been groomed it didn't last this long. The pedophile must have something on him, but why defend her in private.

Taylor quietly watched the young lady stew she was pissed and it was coming off her in waves. He'd been worried about her when he should have been worried about Grey because he got his ass handed to him.

He knew Lincoln had a hold on Grey, but he would never have guessed it was what he heard tonight. He never thought a moment would come when he thought Grey was too fucked up to save, but here it was the man defended a pedophile, defended that old botoxed to her eyeballs and peroxide infected brain pedophile. Lincoln had to go and Taylor was going to make sure of it. After dropping the young lady off, he made a few phone calls cashing in some favors.

"Ana you are back already," Kate said surprised to see her friend who she expected in the morning.

"Told you he was a virgin." Elliot chortles earning a scoff from Ana.

"Clearly you do not know your brother." Ana realized how true her words were when Elliot happy demeanor faded faster than the speed of light. Then again why was she surprised after all Grey couldn't have family members too close least they discover him one day beating the shit out of some poor girl.

"Your brother is all about sex after he made me sign an NDA he made it clear it was all about sex for him. There will no dates or anything resembling a relationship. I was to be at his beck and call for sex." That was safe; it was the truth to a certain extent.

Elliot realized that was why his brother had never been pictured with a woman. Despite the fact that he'd probably fucked around more than his brother he at least had the decency to treat the woman to a night out and the occasional meal. He was far more disappointed than he thought possible.

* * *

Ana was starting at SIP today, after spending the weekend with her dad she was ready for work. Jack Hyde was a creep and one who did not do a good job of hiding it. So Ana had put a little insurance in place. Two hours into her job she knew her insurance was most definitely needed and she sent a text confirming it.

"Ana do you want to go for a drink after work?" Jack asked with confidence believing the young girl would want to show her appreciation for getting the job.

"Sorry Jack can't." Got a friend picking me up and I can't have him waiting." Ana said with a smile.

At least she said friend, not boyfriend Jack thought. I've got time. "Sure Ana no problem." He sat in his office as thoughts of what he would do to Ana took over before he knew his workday was over.

He timed his leaving to perfection and walked out with Ana and was struck stupid and still when she walked over to a truck of… bodybuilders, no… more like men who worked hard and used every bit of their muscles on daily bases. Construction workers he now knew when he recognized Elliot Grey. "Jack," Ana called him over. Time to cash in that insurance policy. "Jack this my friend Elliot and some of his friends. Elliot this is Jack." He waited for her to add her boss, but she didn't.

"Her b…" he was about to say but found himself in more pain than ever before when Elliot Grey shook his hands. The man was crushing his hand with a smile.

"Ana here means the world to me so you take care of her because anything and I mean anything at all happens to her and you and I will have words," Elliot said, his smile still in place. God Ana was right the man had creep written all over him. He saw the way he leered at Ana when she walked towards the truck. He hadn't planned on crushing Jack's hand, but the man had already pissed him off. His guys didn't know Ana and he could hear their low growls when Jack's eyes trained on Ana.

Jack smiled as they got into their trucks, he was going to get that bitch, he just had to do it in a way that no one would know. Oh, that bitch would be under him one way or another.

Ana was disappointed to find her plan hadn't deterred Jack from invading her personal space and now he'd thrown in a trip for just the two of them to New York. Ana was determined to go, she just couldn't have Jack going. She had reservations about Elliot's plan whatever it was but as the day wore on Jack's attitude alone was enough for her to want to carry out whatever Elliot's plan was herself.

* * *

"Miss Steele, they are ready for you." Roach assistant called pulling her out of her thoughts. The last couple of months at SIP had been brilliant even better when Jack quit and left town with no reason. Elliot wouldn't tell her no matter what she did, she'd bribed him with food, baked goods, and hell she even got Kate involved. The man was a vault.

"Miss Steele Please sit." The red headed woman said with a smile said and Ana found herself returning the smile.

"Miss Steele, my name is Roz Bailey and I'm the COO of Grey Enter…" She didn't finish her sentence when she saw the look on Ana's face.

"If GEH is the company acquiring SIP… then regrettably I have to hand in my resignation." Shit Roz thought this young lady was the catalyst in purchasing SIP, out the company's top ten upcoming books that gave SIP hope of surviving Miss Steele was the editor on seven of them. One of their editors left them in a ledge, and she stepped in and did an outstanding job, I really can't lose her. Her leaving now would be disastrous.

"Is there anything we can do to change your mind?" God, she was desperate and she didn't mind showing it.

"I'm sorry but unless you can get rid of your CEO I doubt it. During four years of college I thought I'd met the worst kind of pompous idiotic jackasses who thought the world revolved around them until I met your boss. Sorry, but there is absolutely no way I want to be in the same building as that man, hell being in the same city as Grey is more than enough." Roz tried but she couldn't wipe the grin off her face and it soon turned into a howling laughter.

"I'm sorry but my oh my you describe him perfectly," Roz said still laughing. Ana couldn't help smiling too; she liked Roz and would have loved working with her, shame about her boss.

"Miss Steele…"

"Please call me Ana." She bit her lip and Roz had to shift in her seat.

"Ana… Grey has nothing to do with his… saying that I can't guarantee you won't run into him. Not to guilt trip you but SIP came into our radar because of the work in the last couple of months, work you are credited with." Well fuck me Ana thought, she knew the company needed financial help or the doors will close in less than a year.

"Give me a day," Ana said knowing she was going to stay.

This was the first time Roz had remotely felt anything between her legs since Gwen died. Oh, she was in trouble.

* * *

Despite her reservation about coming for GEH she had greatly enjoyed her time here, hell she had yet to run into Grey, and if she did her plan was to ignore him as far she was concerned the man didn't exist.

"Ana turn on the news." Her colleague shouted through her open office door.

"Which news station?" She shouted back.

"Anyone." Okay, Ana thought wondering what had everyone in the office rattled.

Ana stared at the laptop screen with a satisfied smile on her face, Elena Lincoln had been arrested for child molestation, child endangerment, several counts of barbaric and horrific assaults on young teenage boys and possession of videos and pictures of her sexual depravities. She had figured out who she was from Elliot's stories and now the bitch was toast and Ana loved every minute of it. Christian Grey the chickens have come home to roost.

* * *

Christian felt sick to his stomach, 20 years… she's been molesting young boys for 20 years and for 13 of those years he'd been defending her to Elliot and Mia so much so that they stopped talking about her when he was around. Elliot always thought she was creepy, Mia laughed every time she saw her because of the provocative way she dressed and dad tolerated her because of this mother. Oh god his mother, she brought Elena into her circle. At that moment he knew everyone the press would contact would point the finger at this mother.

There was absolutely no way his mother was going to find out the real extent of his relationship with Elena. Shame rose in him, he just couldn't, she would never forgive him if she finds out he sat back and watched as Elena used her to worm her way into the lives of Seattle's elite and worse it would destroy her more than it was already going to do. Ana was right; no son that truly loved his mother would do what he did. How was he going to explain his friendship with her if it came out that he was one of the boys? Then he heard the worst thing possible. The police had found hundreds of photographs and videos. He knew Elena had pictures of him. She told him she'd destroyed them but considering he clearly didn't know her there was every possibility that his pictures were among the hundreds found.

For three weeks he waited for the other shoe to drop as his family was hounded by the press, his mother had been vilified and there was nothing he could do. But with no new information and Elena having taken a plea deal the number of press had dwindled and he decided a visit to his parents would be good. Elena had tried to get in touch, but that wasn't going to happen. What did she think he was going to do, defend her, except it wasn't that far-fetched he's been doing it for years, Flynn and Ana came to mind. He now felt safe that Elena had truly destroyed the pictures of him.

The door was open as usual by Gretchen, the fact that Gretchen barely paid attention to him should have told him the other shoe had dropped.


	3. Chapter 3

The atmosphere in his parent's living room was beyond frosty. Without a word, his father threw an envelope towards him. Elliot glared at him, his sister looked distraught comforting his crying mother, and his father's fists were clenched.

He emptied the contents of the envelope and his heart sunk. The first thing he saw was a single picture of him tied to Elena's cross and a letter.

 _ **Mr. Grey.**_

 _ **I have a lot of respect for you and your wife, therefore, I felt it prudent to warn you. Your son is a liar and a cold heartless human being. It sickened me enough to know that he knew about Lincoln, he's known since he was 15 and yet said nothing. But watching him do nothing again as the press vilified you his parents was the last straw.**_

He didn't know about Elena but yes he said and did nothing as the press vilified his parents. He couldn't look up at them. "You knew." He heard the anger his Elliot's voice.

"No, I didn't… I thought it was just me." She helped me I stopped fighting and drinking. He defended but couldn't say the last sentence out loud they wouldn't understand.

"Give me one good reason why I should believe you. For weeks, everyone pointed the figure at your mother for bringing Elena into their lives and the entire time you knew. Even if it was just you, you knew for well over a decade that she was a sick perverted woman and you let that woman come to this house, sit at our table, help your mother organize charity functions, most of which was for abused young children. She helped your mother at the hospital with the hospital's free care program for orphans." His father seethed.

"What did she have on you?" Mia asked. "Please tell me she had something on you… that… that she was blackmailing you," she sobbed. "Please, Christian tell me she was blackmailing you." He couldn't. He saw what she did as a good thing, the very thing that set him straight. She gave him the money to start GEH and yet again he couldn't say the words out loud. Ana was right… what a fucking hypocrite.

"I really didn't know about the others," he said lowly.

"HOW THE FUCK IS THAT OKAY. In your sick head, that is okay. Jesus… Christian… I've heard of grooming, I've heard just how manipulative these people could be. But 13 years after molesting you she was still your friend, your only friend. We were all pushed out while Elena was your be all and end all. How stupid are you that you couldn't see how wrong it all was. You may not be saying it, but your whole body language is screaming in defense of a fucking pedophile." Elliot stood up and stormed out of the living room.

"We have wronged you." His father said tears stinging his eyes. "We should have seen it, but we didn't," he added. "But my god she played us and played us well, hell you are still sitting there thinking it was a good thing. That she helped you." He was. "I don't blame you for what happened but knowing and not telling us was wrong." But he really didn't know. "Bravo son bravo." His father spoke again his voice thick with tears. "Your mother has been suspended from the hospital pending further investigation. Three of her victims were from the hospital, she met them through the charity for the orphanage." God, he felt sick.

His mother still remained quiet she didn't look at him until she got up and left the room. "Your mother is blaming herself, she blames herself for bringing her into this family. What did we do to you… that makes you…" His father cried. "We've done nothing but love you and you pushed us away and turned to her after she abused you… why." He couldn't tell his father he wanted it, that he was a willing participant. His father would not understand just like Flynn didn't, just like Ana.

He sat in his parent's living room long after they've all left him there and he wondered if they'd ever forgive him. He knew what Elena did was wrong was beyond wrong, but it helped him. It saved his life.

* * *

Ana had barely slept; she'd been up most of the night talking to Elliot. He came home and took one look at her and realized the real reason she wanted nothing to do with Christian. So they talked Ana felt for him and his family, she found another level of disdain for Grey upon learning he knew about Elena's proclivities, just like his family she didn't believe his protestations of not knowing, why would she, the man saw it as a good thing, as something that helped him, he thinks he's who he is today because of her. What was it he said? "I'd be dead in a ditch somewhere if it wasn't for her." Every boy Elena touched went to the police without provocation, even ones the police didn't even know about according to Elliot and yet not only is Christian still friends and in business with the woman he didn't go to the police. His parents took so much heat in the press especially his mother and he still said nothing. He will be finished if the press ever finds out, and he will be more than likely arrested as an accessory.

That morning the last person she wanted to see was him especially after seeing Elliot, her fun loving, full to the brim of positivity friend breakdown and partly blame himself for not seeing it. But there he was standing there looking like a deer caught in headlights upon seeing her she barely glanced his way even when he said her name in shock.

Christian couldn't believe she was his building. She hated him why will she come and work here. He had to know and was on his phone the minute she was out of sight to find out where in the building she worked. He entered her name in the employee search engine on GEH's website and there was Anastasia Steele, commissioning editor. Of course, her dream job. At that moment he realized she'd been working for him for eight months and he's never seen her. How was that possible? Despite everything, he realized how much he still wanted her, after months it hadn't waned not in the least bit.

For most of the day all he could think about was how he could run into her, accidently of course. He'd never been to the fifth floor that was where she was based. After months of never seeing her it would be a little obvious if all of a sudden he started running into her left, right and center. He'd call her to a meeting about putting their differences aside now that they work in the same building. No that won't work… she's been here for months. What was the point she hated him and had made it clear she wanted nothing to do with him. Hell, he saw the disdain in her eyes this morning.

He decided to talk to Roz, she could tell him about Ana and how she came to work for him. He was desperate to know considering he never saw the possibility of her been in this building… ever. "Roz," he called pushing the door open without knocking to find Ana having a dinner with Roz. He was struck still and stared at Ana with barely disguised lust. Roz quickly approached him and practically pushing him out of the doorway shutting her office door behind her.

"Was there something you wanted?" She asked as though nothing had happened.

"You two are friends?" He asked his jealousy very evident.

"Yes." Was all she said giving him nothing.

"Is there any chance you could get her to talk to me?" He asked pleadingly. As much as Roz felt for him, clearly something had gone on between him and Ana.

"No Christian she made it very clear she didn't like you." There was an understatement if she's ever heard one. "It took a lot for her to agree to come work here. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to jeopardise that." He nodded walking away. Could things get any worse?

 **AN: Sorry for the mistakes I've got a migraine but wanted to get this out before my meds kick in. If you are reading Unintentional Interception, I will update tomorrow.**


	4. Chapter 4

AN: The reaction of the Grey's and Ana has clearly divided opinion. The Grey's are mad at Christian because they think he knew about the other boys, he also said and did nothing when his mother was been vilified and his continued defense of Elena isn't helping.

Ana's personal issues have clouded her judgment, she's not being cruel she's just angry and will remain so for a while.

* * *

For the rest of the week as much as he tried he didn't see Ana. He kept making excuses to go to Roz's office but no luck. No one in his family had returned his phone calls. He kept them at a distance since Elena and now he needs them in his life more than ever they weren't there. What hurt more than anything was what he'd done to his mother. He spent more time than ever at GEH focused on the job and had acquisitions in the pipeline than he'd had all year. GEH hadn't taken any hits from Elena's arrest and subsequent fallout. He needed to keep busy; work was the only thing he had as he had no family or friends.

His phone beeped and annoyingly he checked who it was knowing it wasn't his family. He damn near dropped the phone when he saw the headlines.

 _ **GREY AND LINCOLN MORE THAN BUSINESS PARTNERS.**_

Oh god no he lamented afraid to read the story, but he took a deep breath and read. The article talked about how Christian had an affair with Elena and that was the reason that she got divorced when her husband caught them together. It also went on to say that Elena loaned Christian the startup money for GEH and he returned the favor helping her and investing in his salons.

Only his family, the GEH accountants and a select few knew about his partnership with Elena, as for the money Elena loaned him that was between the two of them. Christian had a good idea who had gone to the press and he was going to destroy them. "Welch I need you to get me everything you can on Michael Lincoln and want it in two hours," He shouted down the phone before slamming it down. He had to get out of GEH before the press swooped in.

* * *

Ana was headed to lunch on the executive floor with Roz when she bumped into a hard body the moment she stepped off the elevator. She knew who it was and side stepped him only for him to wrap his hands around her wrist. She turned and looked at the hand holding hers. "Ana, can we talk?" He asked considering he had nothing to lose.

"Take your fucking hands of me." She gritted out with venom. He hadn't done anything to her. He wanted her as a sub and it didn't work out and they went their separate ways and now there she was in his building and talking to him like some piece of shit at the bottom of her shoe. He had had enough of being everyone's whipping boy. His family fair enough but her, no fucking way.

"Be very careful Miss Steele, I am not your colleague I am your boss. This is my fucking building and you will talk to me with the respect due to me." Up until he said respect due to him her face had remained impassive in fact he got the impression she couldn't care less and would happily walk out of the building and the job.

"Respect." She laughed. "Why aren't you out there defending her? He winced not meaning to. "After all she helped you, you are not dead because of her. You are who you are because of her. Go out there tell the world why you let that woman abuse several boys because she was helping them become better men. I mean why else stay friends and business partners with a fucking pedophile when all the other boys she'd abused matched to the police station ready and willing to tell their stories but not you. Why is that Grey?" With that, she snatched her hands back and turned but stopped when she realized Roz had heard the entire conversation.

"Come on Ana." Roz said quietly avoiding Christian's terrified stare us they walked toward her office. Finally, she knew the reason behind Ana's disdain for the man. If she was to put a name to what she was feeling right now, confusion was the word she will use. She tried to not to pass judgment till she spoke to Christian because what Ana was saying couldn't be true. But then Christian had stood there and not once said otherwise. The Christian Grey she knew would have shut Ana down and put her in her place with facts, not conjecture. Unfortunately, it also explained his relationship with Lincoln, one she never understood. She remembered asking him about it once and all he sad was that she'd done a lot for him something people wouldn't understand.

* * *

Christian stood there until Ana and Roz disappeared round the corner into her office. Ana like her family thought he knew. As angry as he was for her thinking that her logic made sense and if it made sense to him it will to everyone else. He had to get to Michael Lincoln before he did any more damage. Christian now believed Lincoln was the one who sent the pictures to his parents. What was stopping him from sending the pictures to the press? Why hadn't he done it already… what was he waiting for.

That night he woke up in a cold sweat. He knew why Lincoln hadn't sent the pictures to the press he was waiting for Christian to call a press conference admitting the affair with Elena at 21. Because that's what he would do he wasn't going to deny the affair, he'd made that decision earlier on the night. He would admit to everything come Monday morning except the will deny being one of Elena's victims and that's when Michael would send the pictures and then questions would be asked as to why he didn't come forward? Why did he deny it? Why was he still friends with the woman who abused him?

Like his family, Ana and now Roz no one will see it as abuse, he will be seen as an accessory to her crimes. If he was lucky a few will come to his aid, talk about Stockholm syndrome and grooming but that will probably soon die a painful death when they learn about the fact that he also now practices the very thing that was done to him as a young teen. But isn't that the Freudian theory around Stockholm syndrome identifying with your captor or abuser and their belief becoming your belief. Shit, he needed to see Flynn or he was going to drive himself mad if he didn't. He was having a hard time with his feelings on one side he felt he owed Elena some loyalty at the same time he was sickened by her actions. He'd told Elena to fuck off and never contact him again. Will she turn around and say he knew as payback for turning his back on her. On my god, he could lose everything and worse go the prison. He wouldn't survive in prison, pedophiles were considered bottom of the pile in prison and as an accessory he'd be seen as a pedophile as well.

He had to get to Lincoln soon or else his life as he knew it was over.

' **GET RID OF THE PLAYROOM.'** He tossed his phone aside and tried to get some sleep.

Flynn had taken a slow approach with Christian for fear he will only end up pushing him further into Elena's hands, but now that those hands were locked up Flynn knew it was time to grab the bull by the horns. "Do you serious believe you and your family would not have found another way to deal with your issues?" Flynn asked. "You were 15 I believe given time you would have been fine. Elena stole that from you." Flynn knew Christian wasn't swayed by his argument. "Christian she run your life. She provided you with subs, she was your only confidant, and she made you dependent on her. Who convinced you to distance yourself from your family." He asked.

"Elena," Christian answered.

"Who told you love was for fools?"

"Elena."

"Despite seeing your parent's successful marriage, your grandparents, Taylor and Gail happily in love, Roz before her partner died and myself included. People with successful loving relationships surround you. Are we all fools?"

"No," he admitted feeling light headed. "These were the very people he respected greatly and relied upon."

"You live in fear of people finding out about your lifestyle. You are trapped by that lifestyle and she made sure it stayed that way." It was so simple, his life was one she built for him and made sure he stayed trapped in it and he blindly stayed there under the illusion of having control.

"Why didn't I see it?" Flynn knew Christian had reached the water whether he was going to drink was an entirely different story.

"You know the answer to that question." This was a conclusion he had to arrive on his own.

"I… I was… molested… raped. I'm a victim." Flynn let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "How could I have been so stupid? Master of the universe, what a fucking joke." He laughed bitterly. "I was her fucking puppet. A puppet that turned out just like the fucked up master."

"You are being too hard on yourself. You had consensual sex with willing partners of age, don't turn it into something it wasn't." Flynn advises. "What are you going to do now?" Flynn asked knowing he was going to be all right. It will take time and a great deal of patience from his family, who he knew would forgive when they finally understand why Christian stood by Elena. But that will only happen if he tells them about his dependence on the BDSM lifestyle and why he felt he needed it. After their reaction… it will take time for Christian to confide in them.

"I don't know," he said getting up to leave. He had finally done it... admitted to the fact that he was a victim just like all those boys Elena molested. Was it that simple, was he that afraid to admit it was wrong because it will make a victim of abuse. If he was honest with himself and he finally was, he would admit that not having her around has slowly opened his eyes to the reality of the situation. No wonder everyone was so mad they saw what he couldn't see.


	5. Chapter 5

Roz had waited all week to speak to Christian, but he hadn't come to work and was not answering his calls. She was taking all his meetings at the moment. She now knew what had happened between him and Ana, Ana confided in her because she had signed an NDA, one that was far more extensive than anyone else's.

"Your behavior towards him is more…" Roz didn't finish her sentence; she couldn't Ana looked ready to fall apart.

"My mother left the man I considered to be my father and married a man I came to love. One I came to respect because he turned out to be a great father to me but in my heart, Raymond Steele will always be my father." She paused taking a deep breath to compose herself. "But Stephen Morton had wormed his way in and not with the right intentions. I hated leaving Ray and in the beginning was as difficult as I could be, didn't come home from school that was if I bothered to go. The funny thing was, I loved the school but I wanted to move back to Montesano so I was been as difficult and as petulant as I could be." Roz listened quietly despite the dread beginning to take root in the pit of her stomach. She knew what was coming but found herself praying and hoping she was wrong.

"Carla was never around after she married Stephen, she had gotten a job she hated simply because she heard some of Stephen's friends call her a gold digger. To prove them wrong, she got a job as a personal shopper. I found it laughable as my mother had married Stephen for his money and yet she couldn't really spend it and was forced to work something she never did with Ray." She laughed humorlessly.

"One day I came home packed a bag was heading out the door when Stephen stopped me, sat me down and said he understood my wanting to live with Ray and he will support my decision if I gave him a month. So I did, and Stephen turned out to be actually great. We spent time together cooking, picked me up from school to do things I loved. The clincher was the day Stephen threw a party for his business colleagues, and one man didn't take his eyes off me making me uncomfortable. I saw Stephen glaring at the man. Eventually, he'd had enough and called me to the kitchen to help and told me to go upstairs and finish my homework, effectively removing me from the room and creepy man." She got up pacing the room. It took another few minutes before she could continue.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Roz interjected lowly.

"I have to… I've never talked about it. I need to... clearly. Carla, of course, was ignorant of all this and tried to make me stay, but Stephen again intervened and said we had plans that weekend and that it would be best if I got my homework out of the way. Stephen and I grew closer after that. In my naivety, I saw nothing wrong with the fact that he now always had his hands on me. But then one day I came home from school to grab a few items for a sleepover when I overheard a conversation that changed everything. Stephen was on the phone with the business colleague that made me uncomfortable. Stephen was thanking him for making me so uncomfortable, as we had grown closer… something he felt would have taken months to achieve. The man wanted me, and Stephen said no as I was his and that he didn't put in all that work for nothing... Stephen told him he could have me after he'd had his fill of me. I had been clever enough to record the entire thing on a recorder he had bought me and quickly run out of the house to my friends sobbing. Her parents had taken me to the police with proof of his conversation. When the police arrived at the house, Stephen acted shocked and disgusted. Carla called me a liar and a troublemaker who was simply doing it to be allowed back with Ray." The phone rung but Roz ignored it.

"Carla couldn't look at me when the police played the recording. Stephen looked ready to kill. He showed no remorse about being caught. He yelled and called me every name under the sun. Carla was arrested, but nothing came of that. Ray was there within hours to take me home.

Stephen went to prison, a few other arrests were made, and a child trafficking ring was dismantled. The men I met during Stephens's party were all part of the ring. Carla tried to apologize, but I knew she wasn't sincere. Carla saw me as a burden, and I wasn't about to pretend I didn't see the disdain she had for me."

Roz understood Ana's anger at Christian who was defending a pedophile. Ana almost became a victim. Stephen had slowly and systematically worked his way into Ana's heart. This was grooming at its best, it was obvious Ana wasn't his first.

It was clear Ana saw the same thing with Grey except Grey hadn't been lucky enough to get away from Elena. Ana couldn't understand his defense of Elena neither did Roz. But she also knew Ana was projecting anger aimed at Stephen towards Christian, it was unfair, and she hoped in time Ana would see that. Christian was a victim, a willing victim but a victim nonetheless.

* * *

All week he had avoided Roz phone calls. The simple reason is he was ashamed, ashamed of himself, ashamed for keeping quiet when the press was vilifying his mother and everyone she thought was a friend had deserted her. Ana hates him and for good reason, he defended a prolific pedophile, worse when he found out about her true nature he continued to defend her not out loud but defended her all the same.

Christian hears a commotion outside the office door and his mom walks in before he could decipher what it was. "Mom," he calls out his voice sounding hoarse.

"I went to GEH, but I was told you hadn't been in all week." She looks him over, he didn't look like he'd showered, and she could smell the alcohol on him. "Feeling sorry for yourself are you?" She asked with barely disguised annoyance. "You still have a job last time I checked, I mean it's not like Elliot who has lost the contract he had with the city or your father who has had to take a leave of absence from his own firm or your sister who's social life has come to stand still. Hell, all our lives have come to stand still and here you are drinking when you've lost nothing." She was shouting at the end." He sat there like a corpse not moving. What had he done?

"God mom I am so sorry…I never meant for any of this to happen." He cried.

"I don't blame you, Christian, it wasn't your fault. We all know that."

"Do you though." He lamented.

"Yes, we are angry… you cut us out despite attempt after attempt… for her. I'm angry you continue to defend her… why."

"Because if I see myself as the other boys, then I'll have to admit I was a victim of abuse… again. For years she controlled me and I didn't see it or refused to see it. I wasn't happy and yet I was afraid to change." She looked shocked. "Mom I truly didn't know about the other boys. It doesn't make any difference now I have ruined your lives with my selfishness." Everyone else was paying for his mistakes and that just made him want to drink more.

"Why didn't you come to us, talk to us? You let her abuse you and us all these years." Grace couldn't understand her son's choices.

"I don't know… she made me believe I needed it, hell I was doing better in school, I stopped drinking and you and dad had stopped fighting. I just wanted to be better to stop disappointing you all the time." Except he hadn't gotten better and now he had done far more than disappoint them. "I've ruined your lives. If I had told you about her none of this would be happening." Grace couldn't argue with that logic, but as a pediatrician, she should have seen it. She and Carrick have talked about it till they were blue in the face, but there was no use in crying over spilled milk.

"Christian what is done is done… we have to move forward and get back to some semblance of normality. It will never be the same but we will try, and you will stop pushing your family away." He didn't know what came over him but at that moment he needed his mother more than ever and found himself in her arms crying as he apologized again and again. "Son it's great to finally get a hug from you, but you stink." For the first time since the night, he brought Ana to Escala he laughed.

For the first time since this debacle started, he felt a little relief. Things with the rest of his family weren't going to be this easy, he had made life difficult for them and had effectively ruined the Grey name. He knew it wasn't all down to him, but this will never have started had he never allowed Elena to do what she did to him. He knew the only way for his family to be out of the glare of the negative media spotlight was to go public with his story. He was a victim it was a time he accepted it and owned it.


	6. Chapter 6

"Dr…"

"Please call me Grace."

"You can me Flynn or John, whatever you are comfortable with."

"You are not surprised to see me?" Grace asked.

"No… Carrick was here a few hours ago," Flynn answered kindly.

"I… I don… it's just…" Grace didn't know where to start. If she was being honest, she didn't know why she was there.

"You are angry and that anger is dominating every emotion." Flynn found himself flinching slightly at the word dominating, whether it was due to Grace's presence he didn't know. "You have to move past anger very quickly before you lose your son." Grace's head snapped up, eyes boring into the good doctor. "You haven't lost your son… it may have felt like it, but you haven't. He loves you; he considers you his savior…" Flynn paused when Grace blanched confused at her reaction. "Despite everything that wretched woman fed him you are his savior. He loves you but finds it hard to believe you can love him. Your anger is only helping to enforce what he was fed. She led him to believe you will hate him, turn your back on him if you ever found out and right that is what you are doing… even if it isn't what you intended it's what you are doing. He had a match one he might never have struck, but she came along built a bonfire and lit it. That flame has held your son hostage for so long and if you his family don't start putting it out it will consume him and you will never get him back.

"I don't blame him, he knows that I told him that not an hour ago." Grace lamented tears freely falling down her cheeks. Flynn would have offered the box of tissues next to him, but Grace had a neatly folded one in her hands and wasn't using it. He knew she wouldn't.

"Did you tell him just that or did you tell him while berating him." Flynn knew the answer.

"I saved him from one monstrous situation and delivered him into another." Grace wept loudly this time, her shame prevalent.

Flynn wanted to kick himself, how could he not have seen it. It should have seen it when he called her Christian's savior. She doesn't she herself that way. Dr. Grace Trevelyan Grey was not angry she was ashamed, ashamed not to have seen the signs of abuse, ashamed that the woman who called herself a friend molested her son for six years and she did not see it. Shame was clouding her judgment and emotions, not anger.

Flynn knew Christian didn't have time, he canceled two appointments and rescheduled for them for later that day. Grace didn't have time for shame and self-recriminations. Flynn was going to temper that feeling of shame before Grace left his office. He had spent years chipping at a wall that was rebuilding faster than he could chip at it; no more it was time for a bulldozer and a wrecking ball.

* * *

Christian had been up since the crack of dawn despite having only gone to bed a few hours earlier. Roz had dropped by he had expected her to jump on the bandwagon of disgust and contempt, but she hadn't, it had surprised him, after all his own family… no, he wasn't going there, he had given them reason and now they were losing everything while his empire had not yet taken a single blow. Roz had spent hours with him; it was nice to have someone, someone who was there on their own accord. Roz had been angry with him for approaching Ana with an offer to become his submissive knowing how innocent she was. There were willing submissives and yet he wanted Ana in a way words couldn't explain. But then he got angry about the way she was treating him, Roz had asked how he would feel if someone had made the same offer to Mia and then proceeded to defend a pedophile to Mia. Again words would not suffice, that man would likely be dead.

Ana had said there was nothing wrong with the lifestyle but his reasons for practicing it was. The arrangement may have been consensual but if the women really knew his reasons would they have agreed to become his subs. He found himself imaging Mia a sub for a man like himself, a man who had far too many rules knowing full well his subs were bound to break one and he would then have the pleasure of punishing them, he woke up in a cold sweat. He may have argued that his playroom was more about pleasure than pain but as he looked back he knew he had inflicted more pain that pleasure.

He knew Roz was privy to whatever made Ana react so strongly with disgust, but he wasn't going to ask. But he needed to know if he every stood a chance with her he needed to know. She angered him more than he would admit, but it didn't change the fact that he still wanted her… in his bed this time.

He had finally come clean with the authorities he was surprised to find they already knew about him or at least suspected. They had found a single picture of him but his face was distorted and they weren't sure. He was the last victim to come forward, the case was closed as Lincoln had accepted a plea deal, but the investigating detective wanted to know whom the boy in the picture was. Looking at the picture Christian realized just how young he was, how could that boy consent to anything.

"Sir we are here," Taylor said bringing him to the here and now.

"Thank you," he said absentmindedly. His mother had called last night to invite him to Sunday lunch, he didn't know what atmosphere he was going to walk into, but he had come. He had called Flynn in a panic this morning Flynn advised him to stop thinking the worst. His mother was at the door before he was with a smile, a heart-warming smile. His apprehension was tamed a little by the smile. "I'm so glad you came." His mother beamed at him.

"I'm glad you called," he said giving his mother a hug. He heard a gasp and knew it was his little sister. "Hey, Mimi. He greeted unsure. He released the breath he didn't know he was holding when she flew into his arms.

With his mother and sister still in his arms he walked into the family room, his father handed him a glass of scotch, beer or wine would not suffice and his dad knew it. "Hey E." It took his brother a few seconds to look at him. Christian was surprised to see shame in his brother's eyes.

"I was so angry I couldn't see past it and only to end up…" Elliot started.

"I don't blame you. Hell, you lost the city's contract because of it." Christian bemoaned.

"Screw those assholes, instead of being your big brother I acted just like those close minded assholes and turned on you… most likely feeding into the shit that bitch fed you. I am so sorry." His brother cried. He'd never seen his brother cry. He pulled him into a hug and found himself crying too.

"It's okay Lelliot… you have nothing to be sorry for. I pushed you all away and closed myself off while allowing her to control me. I defended her because if I didn't I'd have to admit I was a victim of Elena Lincoln." He told his family while his brother was still in his arms.

* * *

After Elliot's anger has subsided he realized he felt guilty more than anger. He was the older brother, he'd promised to protect Christian when he first came home and he had failed. This little brother had come to them from a horrible situation only to end up in the clutches of a pedophile. Elliot sat in the boathouse drinking his dad's favorite bottle of whiskey. "You are a dead man when he finds out." Christian joked as he walked up the boathouse stairs. "I remember watching you bring girl after girl here and wishing I could be just like you," Christian recalled.

"Believe me you don't want that… Kate and I went out the other day, in a space of half an hour three girls came by to say hello, and two boldly made it clear they were always available. The worse part was I couldn't place them if my life depended on it; strangely it was what saved my balls and me. You may have your problems, but at least most of Seattle doesn't think you are a man whore. You will find that special girl one day but Christian you cannot continue to practice that lifestyle. It may be good for some but for you it's far from healthy." It was a relief to have his family know every single detail; the weight off his shoulders was immense.

"Already have and she hates me. What was I thinking introducing such an innocent to BDSM?" he berated himself.

"Ana?" Elliot questioned.

"Yeah… I don't even know where to start." Elliot had nothing for his brother. Ana's feeling towards his brother hadn't changed. He knew the only person who could do it was Christian if Ana heard his story. The only problem was Ana would not give him a chance.

"I wish I knew how to help you there," Elliot said draining his glass. But then a thought struck him." Does Ana have a friend at work… you someone who doesn't hate you."

Yeah, Roz." He answered perplexed as Elliot smiled.

"What?" he asked as his brother's smile grew wider.


	7. Chapter 7

It had been days since Elliot asked about Ana and Roz's friendship and he had yet to hear from his brother. Patience wasn't a quality he possessed, the number of times he had stopped himself from going to Roz's office was unthinkable for someone like him. He had Andrea inform him of every visit Ana made to the executive floor, but he stayed locked in his office every time he got the news she was in Roz's office.

He took his mind of Ana to briefly listen to whatever nonsense his PR department had dreamed up. "Mr. Grey… how do you want to proceed?" Darwin, his head of Public Relations, was clearly becoming frustrated as he shot down every advice he'd been given.

"Darwin if this job is too much for you I'm sure I can find someone else to take up the position," he shot back.

"No sir that will not be necessary." He quickly replied.

"Her ex-husband has got proof that I was one of her victims. I have already spoken to the detective in charge of the case… it is closed. But I can't go out there and deny it because it will give him the perfect opportunity to prove I lied to the public. Are you prepared to face the questions that will be asked about why I lied? No, you are not." He took a deep breath as his voice was getting louder and angrier by the second. "I need you to come up with a way for me to tell my story and I mean everything," he stressed home his point.

"Sir… again it will not be…"

"I heard you the first ten times you said it wouldn't be prudent. Let me repeat myself since it appears you have gone deaf all of a sudden. Find. A. Way. For. Me. To. Tell. My. Story." He turned his attention to his phone ignoring the fucker. The quicker he found someone to replace the idiot the quicker he can get rid of him. Linc was not a threat, but he was going public.

* * *

"If I'm honest myself… I'm coming clean to the public because of Ana. It's the only way I know she will ever hear me out." Christian admitted out loud for the first time.

"You don't believe Linc will release the pictures of you to the public?" Flynn asked.

"I own over seventy percent of Lincoln Timbers. He'd be a fool to cross me… he loves money, to him life is money." Christian said with an air of arrogance.

"I encourage your pursuit of Ana, but I will ask you to temper your expectations. Whatever her feelings towards you, it will not disappear overnight because you came clean. I agree that her feelings towards you might also stem from something personal." Christian's imagination had run wild since the thought first occurred to him. He was thinking the worst. How he never once in the last 13 years felt dread and disgust about what Elena did to him astounded him. But thinking that something of the sort could have happened to Ana left him numb with pain. Over the years, he'd heard and read stories about children abused by the people they trusted or the people their parents had trusted and yet he never once saw himself as a victim. How could he have so blind to the mess that was his life? He wasn't happy and yet he did not see it.

"What do I do? Patience isn't exactly…"

"You don't have a choice in the matter." Flynn interrupts. "Christian you angered this girl beyond your own comprehension. I do realize some part of you feels annoyed and angry at her behavior towards you, but she has a right to feel however she wants. You did not see yourself as a victim. Why would she?" Flynn drives home the same point he had in the last two sessions. "It's hard for people to see you as a victim when you don't. The world isn't perfect if it was a victim would be seen as such, whether they saw it themselves or not. As much as most people will like to think everyone reacts with love and affection in these situations they don't, the harsh reality is most people's reaction is often anger and, or shame."

"Yeah… I know." He answers feeling slightly dejected.

"Don't lose hope before you've even begun. I just want to be aware that this might not go your way or in the way you expect it to go. The ball is firmly in Ana's court. You, my friend, should prepare yourself for the unexpected." Christian growls at Flynn's apparent glee.

* * *

Elliot had spent most of the week racking his brain for a way to get his brother and Ana together in a room. It was clear to him that doing so will put him in the doghouse with Kate, but he was ready for that. This is the first time his brother had needed him and he was going to do his damn best to get his brother the girl, albeit one he'd alienated with his defense of that god-awful woman. He had an idea, but he doubted his brother would go for it.

He was on his way to Roz's office hoping to get her in his corner, but it wasn't needed. He heard a conversation that made him sure his plan might just actually work.

"Hey, Andrea." Elliot purred, and as expected she blushed.

"Elliot." It had taken him years, but he'd finally managed to get someone in his brother's building to refer to him by his first name.

"Is he in?" Somehow he managed to make that sound suggestive.

"Yes… he's free you can go in." Elliot flashed her a dazzling smile before throwing his brother's door open.

"Bro," Elliot cheered.

"Finally." Christian couldn't hide the apprehension he wore.

"This quandary you managed to get yourself into with Ana needs a delicate touch. It can't be rushed."

"And unfortunately, neither can your bullshit." He teased much to Elliot's delight. "So," he added his patience wearing thin.

"We need Roz." He'd barely got the words out when his brother got on the phone.

"Andrea get Roz here. Don't care what she's doing." He rattled out with obvious anxiety.

"Bro calm down before you give yourself a heart attack." Elliot teased throwing his mud-laden boots on the coffee table. Christian couldn't care less he had more important things to worry about.

"Okay Christian, what's the emergency?" Roz asks inviting herself into the boss's office. "Hello, Blondie." Roz teased.

"Hello Red." Elliot retorted. "We need your help with Ana." Elliot threw every ounce of charm and puppy dog eye he could produce with that sentence. He got an eye roll for his efforts before she turned to leave.

"Please Roz," Christian begged. She turned and saw the look, the look of abject misery. Hell, she heard it but seeing it, well how could she walk away from him.

"Okay, what do you need?" She asked resigned to her fate.

"You want to come clean." Elliot turned to his brother repeating the conversation he had heard in the elevator. The revelation shocked Roz.

"It's the only way I know Ana will hear my story." The only way to admit he was a victim and that he'd been wrong in defending Elena.

"Good because I believe you standing in front of a bunch of press will not do it. What you need to do is to tell your story." Elliot said with a smug smile. Christian couldn't hide his relief at finally finding something that got the job done and if Elliot plan was going where he thought it was going. Ana would be the one to tell his story.

It was so simple, tell his story and do so he needed an editor. All he had to do now was pray Ana would be susceptible to it.


	8. Chapter 8

"You want me to do what?" Ana thundered.

"He wants to tell his story, I mean every single last detail." Elliot pleaded with Roz looking on.

"You are asking me to sit in a room with that man and…" She sighed knowing full well she couldn't say no. If there were two people she was indebted to it was Roz and Elliot. "This is not fair you both know I can't say no to you." She lamented.

"So how long will this take anyway?" If we can get it down in a couple of days… we can have it out by the end of the month.

"That's in less than three weeks." Elliot chokes out surprised by how fast it was all happening.

Soon though Elliot's planned had snowballed into the addition of his family. Everyone wanted to tell his or her side of the story and the three-week window was now a very tight three weeks. It was a way for his family to get out from under the media glare and accusations. But what this episode had thought this family was who their true friends were.

Excerpts of their story will feature in Seattle times in the days leading up to the release of the free eBook. He feared for Christian who was determined to tell the whole story, the whole ugly truth. Elliot prayed that the public would come around like he and his family had when they heard Christian's story. His only worry was Christian's BDSM lifestyle, it was a hard enough lifestyle for most people to understand but finding out why Christian felt the… "Hey… where are you?" Kate asked straddling his lap.

"Kate I'm not so sure about this… Christian telling his story, this could ruin him and not just him, his employees."

"Elliot if he doesn't and somehow the press find out, that's what would ruin him. They will know if he's leaving something out and dig. Someone will come forward hoping to cash in. What about his subs, what if one of them decides to come forward during all this. It's best for him to come clean once and for all."

Ana couldn't believe she was doing this, but if she was being honest with herself she was curious to learn how one woman manipulated an entire, not just any family, the Grey's. Carrick was a lawyer, Grace a doctor, surely the signs must have been there. But then again people like the Lincoln woman and Morton were masters at hiding their true nature. "Hello." Ana recognized the woman as Dr. Grace Trevelyan Grey. "I knocked, but you seemed far away," she said with a smile that lit up her face.

"Sorry, I was daydreaming there for a moment," she says welcoming her into my office.

"Thanks for doing this. Elliot speaks the world of you…" Ana knows she wants to say more but is unsure.

"You are about to tell me about the most trying episode of your life, you can ask me anything you want." She giggles.

"He told me Christian is in love with you." Her saliva goes down her windpipe and her eyes tear up as she coughs trying to clear it. "I take it you didn't know this?" She asks amused.

"NO." She struggles to speak. Ana isn't sure how she feels about the information; she hasn't been cordial to the man. So when did he fall for her, if it was true? "We'll start when you are ready," she says moving away from the subject.

"She came from nothing. Got a job at a high-end hairdresser's in New York where she met Michael. They got married and well she was bored. He travelled a lot with his job. I felt sorry for her and invited her to one of my luncheons to make friends. She wasn't judgmental… I guess that was why I felt I could talk to her regarding Christian." She sighs heavily. "She used it as a weapon. I confided in her and she used it as a weapon against my son." A tear drops and she quickly dashes it away.

"Can I get you something to drink? Tea, coffee, a shot of whiskey." Ana asks with a smile making Grace chuckle.

"No dear I'm fine. I take care of kids; I know the signs of abuse when I see it. How I missed it on my own son I still cannot get my head around it." Her anger starts to surface. "He had suffered so much by the age of 4 and she knew that and yet had no qualms about enticing my son into a lifestyle that isolated him more from us, from our love and…" this time she let the tears fall.

Ana felt drained and this was only the first interview for the eBook publication of Christian's story. Elena Lincoln was evil personified; the woman took advantage of an entire family and fucked up a boy who was already a mess. Ana couldn't express how happy she was that Christian has realized that bitch didn't help him but, in fact, messed him up and turned him into a man that was far from happy and was controlled by a lifestyle she introduced him to. She was sure Grace only told her hoping her anger towards Christian would wane. Clearly Elliot had told his mother the whole sordid tale between her and Christian.

Christian paced his office hoping and praying his mother would up and say hello. He will ask her to stay for lunch; unfortunately she had a lot of time on her hands thanks to him. Boy, talk about a turn up for the books, him in desperate need for his mother, even if it was just a hello. There was a time he grumbled when he was told his mother was on the way up. He'd make up a meeting or conference call just to get rid of her.

If he had to go home for Sunday lunch, he'd moan because it was taking time away from his subs. "Sir, Dr. Grey is here…" he pulled the door open with enough force to break the ridiculously expensive door handle.

"Mom." He walked out to her and pulled into a hug. "Come in… Andrea order some…" he stopped and stared at his mother's entertained face. "What would you like for lunch?"

"I'll have whatever you have," she said doing her best to hold back her laughter. Despite the horrendous situation the family found themselves in, Grace Grey couldn't be happier. Talking to Ana had helped; that young lady was a thing of beauty and brains… no wonder Christian was enthralled.

"Hey, Andrea." Christian froze at the door when he heard the voice, the voice he'd heard so much in his dreams. Every fiber of his being willed him to enter that office and ignore her, but he couldn't.

"Hello dear." His mother, his angel, his salvation greeted her with a warmth reserved for her children and husband.

"Hello, Grace…" She paused looking at Christian who looked tense as though he was expecting to be… she didn't know what he expected, but it certainly wasn't what followed.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: I'm in moving in a week or so and in the process of packing, so I don't know when I can update again. C.J.**

"Good afternoon, Mr. Grey." Ana greeted with a small smile. Grace watched her son who she was sure did not hear the greeting. Andrea stifled her giggle when Grace nudged her son to bring him out of his unresponsive state.

"Good afternoon An… Miss. Steele." He said with a look of shock and utter disbelieve.

"When would you like to meet?" Ana asked amused by her boss's look and demeanor.

"When will you be done with _my family_?" Neither Grace nor Ana missed the inflection in his voice when he said, my family.

"Elliot and Mia wanted to talk together… tonight at my apartment… so tomorrow if you are not to…"

"Clear my schedule tomorrow." He barked at Andrea. The idea of spending the day with Ana even if it was to talk about the worst episodes in his life brought him a great deal of contentment.

"Excellent, I will see you tomorrow." She said with a small wave aimed at Grace, but Christian waved back nonetheless.

The moment he closed the office door Grace let out a peel of laughter. Before all this, he would have been pissed off as her laughter was at his expense, but he knew she was laughing because for once he acted his age, he acted like most clueless guys smitten with a girl. Contentment was out the window and sheer delight and giddiness took its place seeing his mother laugh. She looked young and at that moment he realized what a toll all this had taken on his mother. Grace Grey youthful features had made a welcome appearance and if he had something to say about it, it would stay in place.

His happy mood ebbed upon reading an email from Ana requesting a copy of his contract with his subs. For a moment, he didn't understand why she'd want it, but he quickly answered his own question. Ana wasn't writing his story for him, she was writing it for the general public and, therefore, she needed to write about that chapter in his life in a way everyone would understand and for her to do that she had to understand it as well.

Despite that he didn't want to do it, he feared for the small step they had made. All she was going to see was a contract littered with rules, most selfishly included. The more rules he had the more likely a sub was to break one in order for him to punish them. Right now Christian Grey couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

* * *

"What did you say to him?" Roz asked with barely disguised elation.

"Good afternoon." She raised an eyebrow in disbelieve. "I swear that's all I said. You'd think I just agreed to be his sub." Roz growled. "Low blow, I know." Ana placated.

"Go easy on him tomorrow," Roz said getting Ana's attention.

"I'm too nervous to give him a hard time," she responded.

"You should research BDSM."

"I tried, what I saw made me even more nervous and I didn't think that was possible." Ana added clinching her fist; she couldn't twist her fingers in her lap as much as she was dying to. She'd made aware of that tell.

"Well, from what I understood from him there was a contract in place before anything started… ask him for a copy of his contract. If anything it will give you a better understanding and you can go into it better prepared."

"Actually that's not a bad idea," Ana said firing off an email to Christian. A knock on the door interrupted her briefly, but she carried on without looking up.

"Come in." Barney took a step and froze. "Sorry Barney forgot you were coming to replace my laptop," Roz said hoping to get him moving.

"Yeah… I can come back later… if you want." He cleared his throat getting Ana's attention.

"Hey," she said shyly. Barney smiled and nodded his response. It took him longer to replace the laptop, simple things; everyday thing he did when it came to setting up a laptop escaped him.

"Ana I don't think you've ever met Barney," Roz said amused.

"No, I haven't we've talked through email but never met," Ana said admiring him. He was tall; well everybody was tall by Ana's estimation. He was lean but clearly worked out, could certainly do with a haircut she found herself thinking.

"All done," he said gathering his tools.

"Thank you, Barney."

"Nice to finally meet you," he said to Ana finally finding his voice.

* * *

"There was something about her that just didn't sit right with me," Elliot said standing up to grab a bottle of beer. "She tried too hard defying… I guess I now know why she was desperate to look as young as possible." He added.

"She had this fascination with Christian, but we all put it down to the bond they developed when he was young." Ana could see Mia was on the verge of tears. "None of us liked her… but she was mom's friend." She added with a shrug.

"In the back of your mind you know something is wrong but it never worked its way to the forefront of my brain simply because you don't spend enough time dwelling on it. We all should have paid a little more attention to him…" Elliot starts.

"He stopped fighting, started working hard at school. We all walked on egg shells around him fearing the smallest disturbance could set him back. Right now I'd empty my wardrobe and bank account for a few minutes with that bitch." Mia growled.

Mia and Elliot didn't want to talk about the backlash they'd received from the media and so called friends. Elliot knew that with time most if not all will come crawling back with their tales between their legs. What would you know come morning he got a call from the people responsible for the restoration project asking if he was still interested in the job, he hung up without a word. I don't believe I have ever seen someone look so smug.

Reading Christian's contract made Ana wonder if she was the right person to write his story. She had zero experience when it came to sex; she had to research every part of that contract. She will admit she felt a little better when Elliot and Kate both looked stumped at the some of the content in the contract.

Five minutes to time she found herself watching the clock knowing full well time dragged when you watched it as she was doing.

* * *

Sleep escaped Christian and yet he'd never felt more rejuvenated. He wore the gray suit he had on the day Ana interviewed him; he doubts she'd remember, but he did. He wolfed down his breakfast without really tasting it. He was in a hurry to get to the office despite his interview with Ana being in two hours. He'd been working on technics with Flynn to keep his temper at bay just in case… after all their last conversation regarding his relationship with Elena didn't exactly go well. Not that he was going to utter a word in defense of the bitch. It no longer mattered both Elliot and his mom had told him Ana just listened, every now and then bringing up topics she felt they needed to cover to make the story complete, she is an editor after all.

He felt a little apprehensive at the same giddy with excitement on the walk to her office. "Good morning Mr. Grey." Her assistant greeted politely. "Miss. Steele is expecting you, just go in." He knocked despite being told he could just walk in.

He was surprised when she opened the door. His level of apprehension went down to almost nothing as giddiness, longing and a healthy dose of lust took over upon seeing her.


	10. Chapter 10

"Do you want to take a break?" Ana asked kindly as Christian was clearly struggling with the subject of the abuse he sustained at the hands of his birth mother's pimp.

"No… I'd rather get this over and done with." At this point, his suit jacket and tie was off. The shirt of sleeves was rolled up, the first few buttons undone. The room felt unseasonably hot and as hard as he tried he couldn't get his breathing to even out. He'd done this several times with Flynn and yet here he was struggling…

"You look like you need a break and it's lunch time." Christian looked at his watch. A Rolex Daytona from his mother. He remembered the day she gave to him well, it had been his birthday… it fell on a Friday so naturally the last place he wanted to be was at Bellevue when he had a sub waiting for him.

"Of course Ana, you must be angry." He desperately wanted to have lunch with her, but he could not stomach her rejected if he asked so he didn't.

He ate his lunch without really paying attention to what he was eating. The subject of Elena Lincoln was next and he knew how Ana felt about her. Christian was ready to admit she'd abused him and yet was not ready to condemn her. It was the one thing since Elena's arrest that he'd kept to himself, despite the problems it had caused he could not point the finger at Elena alone. He'd somehow managed to fool everybody even Flynn, but every fiber of his being told him Ana would see right through him. His defense of Elena had brought on her dislike of him in the first place.

"Whenever you heard or read stories of abuse, did it in any way resonate with you?" Boy, she was not beating around the bush.

"As in did I see myself as a victim." She nodded. "No, all I saw was what she'd helped me accomplish. I stopped drinking, fighting, my grades improved and above all else she believed in me, she saw something I didn't see... she believed in me." He answered with a little more passion than he intended.

"Couldn't it be said that your parents believed in you and saw the same things in you." He had no answer. "Was it because there wasn't any instant gratification with pleasing your parents?"

"I never… looked at it that way. I wanted to change, but everything I tried ended in failure."

"What did you try?" There was a loaded question. As hard as he tried he couldn't remember any tangible effort to change. So why did he yield so quickly when it came to what Elena was peddling, was it really about instant gratification.

"I don't remember trying," he answered honestly. "Why am I finding it so hard to admit what she did to me was wrong? Don't get me wrong, it was abuse, but all I seem to be able to focus on is the positive outcome of what she did." He couldn't look at her as he answered, he was ashamed.

Ana had no intention of asking so many questions, but it seems it was the only way this worked with Christian. "What was the positive outcome, but before you answer that tell me what you wanted when you agreed to Elena's agreement."

"Like I said earlier to stop drinking, fighting constantly disappointing my parents. I wanted to be able to fit in with my family, but I felt more alienated from them… she encouraged it. I became more isolated; she was my only friend and confidant. I got nothing out of the arrangement while she had it all." It hit him like a freight train coming at him from all angles. He had said all this to Flynn but at the time he said what Flynn wanted to hear. "I wanted so much and got nothing if anything she left me with more issues than before. I was a victim in so many ways." Ana wanted to whoop and applaud the fact that Christian Grey's eyes were finally open. She saw what nobody else saw a victim who blamed himself instead of the perpetrator. Despite what Elliot had told her the moment she laid eyes on him she knew he was telling everybody what they wanted to hear after all she had done that, for years she was convinced she had somehow led Stephen on, given him some indication or sign to come after her the way he did. She had seen the dread on Roz's face and could not bring herself to tell her the whole story of her past with Stephen. It had taken her a long time to completely shed the guilt she wore over that whole affair. Christian eyes were open, but it will take time for him to shed the feeling he owes Elena Lincoln some gratitude. After all she only had six months with Stephen, Christian had been in that woman's clutches for more than a decade. She should have been patient with him, but he brought on feeling she long thought she'd dealt with and she took her frustrations and anger out on him.

"Okay, tell me the story." Ana said with a smile that made him relax for the first time, that was until he remembered they had yet to tackle the subs, 15 of them.

"Thank you for doing this, I know Elliot and Roz roped you into this," he said sincerely. He had to remember this didn't mean he was going to get Ana the way he wanted.

"It's fine, it has strangely being helpful." He was desperate to know more.

"Well, I'm glad." Was all he could say in the end. God, he'd never been the type of man to thread carefully, but here he was, his behavior when it came to her as though he was walking on thin ice least he cracked the ice and sunk deeper than ever before.

"I will have the finished product for you by Friday it gives you the weekend to go over it and approve the final edits." After all his weekends was now free. He nodded leaving her office; considering the topics tackled today he had enjoyed spending the day with her.

* * *

Ana was jerked out of her concentration when her phone rang; she picked it up without looking at the name on the screen. "Hello," she answered somewhat absentmindedly.

"Ana if you have nothing better to do than spend the evening in the office join us at Fifty's," Roz shouted, clearly she's had one too many.

"How many have you had?" Ana asked with a giggle.

"Not enough if I can understand every word I just said." Roz's chuckle could be heard over the noise in the bar. "Barney get me one of those." That peaked Ana's interest.

"I will see you in a couple of minutes," she said shoving several pieces of paper into her messenger bag. She thought it best to leave her car in the GEH garage and walked the short distance to Fifty's. She hoped the cold February air would clear the fog in her brain by the time she got to the bar.

Barney wished he had got that haircut he kept telling himself he would get before he met Ana. He knew exactly who she was, the boss had shown a keen interest in her eight months or so ago, even requesting for a background check. Despite knowing there was one in the system for her he refused to even peek at it. Whatever he learned about Anastasia Steele will be from the woman herself.

He knew nothing had materialized between her and the boss and was fairly certain she turned him down which was a first. Most of the women at GEH applied for the job in hopes of attracting the attention of the enigmatic and very private Christian Grey only to find they couldn't even catch his eye. You got eye contact from doing your job, and doing it exceptionally well, so most of them did, but it still got them nowhere. He doubted they'd be that keen to get his attention if they knew of his sexual proclivities.

"ANA." He looked up to find her looking at him; he really should have gotten that haircut. For starters, the long hair reminded him of Hyde, Ana's unnerving boss he had helped Elliot get rid off. He pulled his hair out of the ponytail and run his fingers through it when she turned her attention to Roz, at least it was clean and not greasy.

She was glad Roz had invited her; she got to know a few people from GEH she would never have guessed worked there. Not that she was unsociable, the building employed a couple of thousand people and being with Grey Publishing she had little chance to know people outside her floor considering she spent all her time with mostly Roz and on occasion Andrea. But boy did she want to get to know Barney. Despite having gravitated towards each other they barely said a word to each other outside of hello. She had never dated before, the one time she tried she… no, it was not the time for it.

"How long have you worked at GEH?" Ana asked a desperate need to forget… if only briefly about everything she learned about her boss today. It was sobering that someone not yet 30 could endure so much horror and still prosper.

"Six years almost seven. Pretty much from the beginning." He said with a smile.

"You are not from Seattle." It was more of a statement rather than a question.

"No, from Boston. Mr. Grey employed me straight out of MIT." Ana turned her body towards him.

* * *

The two were so engrossed in each other they did not see their boss glaring at them from a short distance. Christian had called Elliot for a night out, anything to take his mind off his personal life. "Come on bro," Elliot said pulling his brother out of the bar before either had even had the chance to order a drink. "We'll go to a bar I know." Far from here, the last thing he needed was Christian getting arrested for assault.

"No E… I'm good. I'm just going to head home."

"I'll come with you." He knew Elliot wasn't going to leave him to his own devices so he didn't bother to put up a fight. Barney, Barney fucking Sullivan was putting the moves on his girl. _But she's not your girl; right now she's not even a friend._ He couldn't expert her to be single forever, but at least she could date someone who didn't work for him. He wished he had a no fraternization policy in place. He'd never paid attention to Barney why would he, and now Barney was most likely going to get the one girl he wanted. He could warn him off or better yet pay him off. There were a handful of people he would never fire and did everything in his power to keep in his employment and Barney was one of them. The guy had more offers than you could shake a tailfeather at and chose to come work for his company, GEH was nothing then, a couple of acquisitions under his belt did not make a company but Barney had enough faith in him to come work for him. Fuck did he have to go after Ana.


	11. Chapter 11

He paced his office for the better part of an hour after Elliot left. Elliot had initially decided to spend the night at Escala, but after Kate called he hightailed out of there like a man possessed. You didn't have to be a mind reader to know why his brother left the penthouse with no means of transportation. Christian sent Ryan after him to give him a ride to Kate's apartment.

He plied Elliot with enough alcohol to get him talking about Ana, except his brother had been coy when it came to the subject of of the girl he wanted. But he had advised him to be patient whether Ana was dating Barney or not. Endear yourself to the girl, Elliot had advised.

Eventually, he'd had enough and decided to go back to Fifty's, he prayed Ana was still there.

He found her sitting with Roz with Barney nowhere in sight. _There is a god._ He walked to the bar to get a drink and then join Ana and Roz… his plan was short lived as he saw Barney coming out of the men's toilet. He left quickly before anyone noticed him, he sat in Elliot's truck grateful he had thought to bring his brother's truck to stop Taylor from tracking him. It was a stupid move and one he was sure Taylor was going to rip him a new asshole for. His fleet of Audi's was far more recognizable than Elliot's truck; no one would suspect it was him behind the wheel.

It was another hour before he spotted Ana and Barney coming out, they got into one of the cab's lined outside the bar waiting for drunk fools they could exploit.

It took a while before the cab took off, his heart sunk when it was headed in the opposite direction to Pike Market where Ana lived. Being the glutton for punishment that he is, he followed them as the cab made its way to Barney's apartment. He watched as they got out of the cab laughing hysterically at something. It took every ounce of willpower to stay seated in the driver's seat. He was going to rip Barney's head off the first chance he got.

He followed them at a distance, after all, he knew where he asshole lived. He parked down the street and watched them get out of the cab laughing. He hated the sight before him, he watched as they entered the building disappearing beyond his view. He sat there for a couple of hours before he gave up and went back to the penthouse. Sleep was elusive that night, as his mind would not quiet long enough for sleep.

He wasn't in the best of moods the following morning and it only got worse when he saw Barney helping Ana out of his car. Taylor locked the car door preventing Christian from getting out. "Taylor open the goddamn door." He snarled.

"Sorry sir, I believe it's best if you wait till Mr. Sullivan and Miss. Steele enter the building." He tried the door again despite knowing it was still locked.

"Open the fucking door." He bellowed after the elevator door closed taking Ana and Barney to their respective floors.

"Good Morning Christian." Roz greeted unaware of the storm brewing in her boss.

"You know how I feel about Ana and you let her go home with Barney." He found himself bearing down on her menacingly.

"Let let… what am I her mother." She barked. "And get out of my face." He took a step back. "How the fuck do you know she went home with him?" He turned jabbing the button to open the elevator doors avoiding her stare. "I have helped you as best as I can with Ana. She heard your story and still chose Barney instead of you. It's clear she's made her decision. Let it go. I can't believe you will resort to stalking her. You are Unfuckingbelievable" She uttered.

Roz was damn right annoyed. Yes, she had been sad to see Ana show an interest in Barney, but she was a grown woman and had every right to chose who she wanted to be with.

Come Sunday he was eager to get to Bellevue, eager for company and conversation. Throughout lunch Elliot and Kate wore annoyingly amused looks and sniggered every time they looked his way. "Have I got something on my face?" he asked annoyed by the time Gretchen brought out dessert.

"No, but the next time you decide to stalk Ana do not use my truck. She knows my truck better than your fleet of Audis." His spoon hovered over the top of his tiramisu as Elliot and Kate gave up every attempt to contain their laughter. He looked up to find Mia's shoulder's shaking, his parents doing their best to keep a straight face.

"How long after I left did you go back to the bar?" Elliot took great joy in his brother's discomfort. He ignored them cracking the top of his dessert. Ana knew he was there and yet went home with Barney. He ate the rest of his dessert without really tasting it. The conversation flowed around him, but he didn't have the energy to get involved. He felt drained and angry, he'd give away his fortune for Ana, for a chance to make her laugh like Barney, for a night with her, for a chance to drive her to work in the morning.

"Christian," Mia called walking up to the docks. "Dinner is ready." At some point, he'd left the house and walked up here. He really thought the plan to tell her his story would work, but clearly he was wrong.

* * *

The more Ana spoke to Barney the more she realized she had simply gravitated towards him because of a desperate need to get away from Christian, except she couldn't stop thinking about him. The more she tried the more thoughts of him invaded her subconscious. She found her conversations with Barney flowed with ease. She had the same relationship with Roz and Kate, therefore, it clearly meant nothing. She wished she could fall for a guy like Barney but it wasn't going to happen and she realized the quicker she made that clear the better it will be for both of them. There was no point in fooling herself and worse stringing Barney along. At this point, she wasn't sure as to her feelings for Christian, but that will work itself out eventually… she hoped.

Ana had noticed Elliot's truck the minute they left the bar and was just about to wave to him when she realized something was off. The silhouette of the driver was leaner and his hair… _you have got to be kidding me_. She thought it best not to jump to conclusions, for all she knew Christian was there with Elliot and was simply driving. She called Elliot the minute she entered the cab.

"Short stuff, you are fucking with my concentration," he growled.

"Then I take it you are not outside Fifty's." The silence on the other end of the phone told her all she needed to know.

"No, I'm not. I had a little too much to drink at Escala so one of Christian's guys drove me home." Elliot's need for another round with the wanton woman next to him dissipated with that phone call. His brother was stalking the girl, after everything he told him. If this was his brother's idea of winning Ana over he was in for a rude awakening. "Ana, can you do something for me?"

"Huh-uh," she muttered cautiously.

"Are you going home with Barney?" she was about to answer, and then a thought occurred to her. "How do you know I'm with Barney?" She asked.

"We are the bar earlier and we saw you." She laughed.

"To answer your question. No, he's going to drop me off and heard home." She answered.

"Nah short stuff." He joked. "Go home with Barney spend the night."

"Elliot Grey you are cruel," Barney said with a laugh. He was disappointed when Ana made it clear she only had friendship in mind, but he'd take her friendship and hoped the boss was clever enough to woo the girl. Clearly he needed a lot of help in that department.


	12. Chapter 12

The last two weeks had been sheer torture and not because the eBook came out with his story and that of his family regarding Lincoln. The reaction to that had been a bit of a shock, What he got was support, an unwavering amount of support came his way from the public, of course there those who hurled abuse at him. He had more cards and gifts than he knew what to do with. He had to authorize an unprecedented amount of overtime for the mailroom staff. They requested any money people felt they should have paid for the book be donated to children's charities, which brought more mail from the various charities thanking him. The eBook was not an issue, watching Barney and Ana was.

He sat behind his desk glaring at his head of legal and his number two in finance. The two had gotten into a shouting match right in the lobby of GEH. Despite the look of complete and utter annoyance and downright indignation, inside he was jumping for joy. These two had just handed him the perfect opportunity to implement a no fraternization policy.

"You are incredibly lucky you work in separate departments." He huffed. "I am this close to sacking the both of you, have you taken leave of your senses." He barked.

"Get the fuck out." Roz snarled at the two idiots..

"At the end of the week, I want an email sent to every department. GEH now has a no fraternization policy." He said with satisfaction.

"Andrea has been dating Reynolds for almost year, I just helped him pick out a ring. He's taking her to Napa at the weekend to propose. Shelby in PR has been dating Brian in maintenance for over a year. Just because two idiots decide to bring their shit into work doesn't mean you have to punish the rest of the workforce." Fuck, Roz was right. He was tempted to say he didn't care. "Hell, you didn't know Andrea and Reynolds were dating because they keep it outside these walls."

"You are right. I didn't think about the wider…" he waved his arms around feeling dejected.

"Tell me something, would the no fraternization policy apply to you?" Roz asked with a smirk.

"Obviously, I am the boss I have to lead by example," he answered wondering where Roz was going with the line of questioning.

"So how exactly do you get the girl you want?" Roz chuckled as she left his office. He clearly hadn't thought that one through; if Ana broke up with Barney because of the policy he couldn't date her because of the same policy. _You are an idiot._

As much as he tried he couldn't concentrate, he had to leave the office and get some fresh air. Maybe he will take The Grace out for the weekend. He had learned the hard way that stalking Ana was not productive if anything it left him feeling like a fool. He should have listened to Elliot, he was a pain but when it came to women he knew what he was doing and it was clearly time to listen. It was time to get on with his life, if the chance ever came to get Ana the way he wanted he would take it, until then he will leave the girl be.

"Andrea cancel my appointments for tomorrow, I will handle the conference call with London myself, and take the day off." She had a weekend in Napa to prepare for after all.

"Thank you sir." He was sure she responded, but it was lost as his attention was solely focused on Ana.

"Good afternoon Mr. Grey." She greeted with a smirk.

"Miss. Steele," he responded, as much as he wanted to smile he couldn't. The idea of her dating Barney irked him to no end. "Ladies first." His manners worn out by the time his private elevator doors opened.

"Thank you." She replied with a beaming smile.

Ana wrote a draft copy of a letter she needed to send to an author in her head just so as to temper down on the… fuck, she didn't know what it was, but it was all encompassing. Her breathing was labored and she had a hard time standing still.

Christian slowed his breathing down, slowly out his nose and slowly in through his mouth, which turned out to be a monumental mistake. He could taste the current in the air; he could feel the blood pumping through his veins, he could hear his heart beating… he had one after all, what a way to find out.

"Fuck this," he growled. He had her up against the wall, his mouth on hers before he could think. It took him a moment to realize she was responding her tongue dueled with his, her fingers in his hair and rubbed herself against him. _What a_ _little minx._ The chime of the doors opening separated them. They were both breathing hard, they stared at each other till the doors closed again. Christian leaned against the wall, his body slowly slid to the ground.

"What was I thinking attacking you like that?" He lamented not looking at her.

"If you hadn't I would have," she said sitting opposite him. She was surprised to find him looking at her with anger.

"You have a boyfriend, what…" he stopped before he called her a derogatory name he would most likely regret.

"I'm sorry, what?" she said looking completely lost then it dawned on her. Shit, Elliot still hadn't told him. "Barney and I are just friends." He didn't stand a snowball chance in hell of hiding his relief and glee.

"But you went home…" he stopped but realized there was no point. She already knew. He'd spent almost two weeks thinking they were dating.

"Yeah… sorry about that. It was Elliot's idea." She said sheepishly.

"Of course, it was. I'm going to kick his ass from here to Timbuktu." He sneered.

"Where is Timbuktu? I mean people always say that but where is it. Sorry, I'm shit at geography." She said with a giggle. He had to close his eyes to temper down the lust that was rapidly building in the confines of the elevator.

" I owe you an apology." He snapped his eyes open and stared at her.

"I deserved it… I mean sitting in Elliot's truck waiting to see if Barney took…"

"No that's not what I meant. I am sorry for that as well, Elliot was supposed to tell it was a joke." She was rambling and yet he'd never seen anything so devilishly attractive." I mean for the way I acted at your penthouse and subsequently here on…" she paused taking a deep breath. "I of all people should have understood."

"I defended a pedophile." He said annoyed with himself. "I was so blind to her machinations. I was a fucking puppet and I walked around like the king of the fucking universe." He growled.

"That is why I should have been patient. I know what it's like to have someone worm their way into your life to the point where you become grateful they are there. It makes you completely blind to their true objectives. I am so sorry Christian." He didn't want to pry, but he was the king of seeking information no matter what the consequences.

"What happened to you?" He asked his voice soft yet tinged with terror.

"That is a conversation for another time. Since that day in your penthouse, I find myself slowly falling back into the…" she found herself in his arms, she lost the fight with the tears.

He finally understood he had brought back memories she'd long buried or more likely thought she'd dealt with. Ana had an encounter with a pedophile and the thought made him sick to his stomach, so much so he was glad he hadn't yet had lunch. He left the office with the resolve to forget about her and move on, and yet here he was sitting on the elevator floor with the girl in his arms. "Apology accepted," he said after a while.

"Thank you." She chuckled. Boy, was he glad he let her in his private elevator.


	13. Not an Update

**Sorry, this is not an update.**

I shut my fingers in the door and writing at the moment is slow going, but I am writing and hope to have an update for you very soon. C.J.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Sorry it took so long, but I lost my mojo when it came to this story. I seem to have found it in the last few hours.**

"We had an understanding, not just that we kissed. A kiss we both agreed we wanted to happen and then nothing. I get a hello Mr. Grey, and that's it." Flynn watched Christian wear a hole in his carpet as he paced.

"What exactly do you want from her?" He asked the obvious.

"It's obvious I want her, she knows that and yet…"

"It might have been obvious you wanted her months ago, but for all she knows that's changed now. Have you asked her out? " Christian stopped and stared at the doctor.

"No." he shook his head.

"You haven't made your feelings clear or even what you want from her clear, and yet somehow she is supposed to know this. A kiss, one kiss at that doesn't mean she can read your mind. I've heard men accuse women of treating them as though they expect them to be mind readers. There is a first time for everything." He found Christian's impatience when it came to the girl amusing.

"It's… I expected more." Floundering wasn't a word Christian would ever apply to himself, but when it came to Ana, that's exactly how he felt.

"You are cordial and respectful towards each other. That might be more in Ana's mind. If you want something different, then you are going to have to ask her. Have you stopped to consider she might be waiting for you to act." Flynn leaned back in his chair. "You are getting worked up over the nature of your relationship or lack of thereof when the young lady isn't aware of the fact that you want more." At that moment, Christian felt like a moron.

"I don't know what to do. My usual modus operandi isn't going to work." That way of working no longer applied.

"Ask the girl out. It is what you want to do, isn't it?" Flynn asked. "You have a brother who has somehow managed to get most of Seattle's female population…"

"I can't keep getting my brother…" Flynn was beginning to get irritated with Christian's need to do everything himself. The man paid his employees far more than anyone in his line of work and yet he felt the need to do it all himself. On the other hand, he came to Flynn wanting miraculous solutions to his problems.

"He is your brother, your older brother at that. Let me clue you in on how it works." Christian rolled his eyes, as he knew a lecture was coming. "Younger brothers have an advantage. Whatever you find yourself going through as you grow through your teenage years your older brother has experienced. You, unfortunately, didn't have that because Elena took that away from you. That bond that brothers strengthen through their formative years was taken from you. If you had, you would have learned that older brothers are there to help you avoid the difficult terrain they faced when it came to women. You don't know the first thing about courting a young ladies, your brother does. He has helped thus far, why do you all of a sudden find an issue with asking your brother for help."

"I have nothing to offer in return," Christian mumbles in shame.

"He doesn't want a bloody thing from you." Christian's head shot up at Flynn forceful tone and use of an expletive. "Invite him over for a few drinks and just talk," Flynn added after taking a deep breath. "Our time is up. I hope when I next see you; you have a firm idea of what is happening with Ana."

"See you next week John" He muttered leaving the office.

* * *

"Are you okay, you look distracted," Christian asked as Elliot had barely taken a sip of his beer nor was he focused on the game.

"I'm just… Ana is doing… she's not well. She tries to hide it but I've opened a can of worms, and I don't know how..." Elliot struggled to convey his thoughts. "

"What are you talking about?" Christian bellowed, his fear for Ana prevalent.

"Asking her to listen to our story was wrong; my brilliant idea was not that bright in respect to her. She wasn't cut out to hear all our bullshit and feelings when it came to Elena, you, us. We have done a number on that girl's head; it would be hard for anyone. With her past, it must be a nightmare." Not once did it occur to Christian that Ana might not have been prepared to hear an entire family… _shit._ He bolted to his office and got one of Flynn's cards.

"Get her to Flynn, don't just give her the card and suggest she see him. Get her there, if you have to carry her over your shoulder do it." He said barely holding on to his composure. He should have left her alone, ordering that background check was the beginning of the end. Insight is a beautiful lesson that also has the ability to torture you at the same time. "Do you know what happen to her?" Christian asks.

"Not really, but I have an idea. Let's get back to the game." Elliot suggested before his brother could ask any more questions. It wasn't his place to tell him about Ana.

As desperate as Christian was to ask Ana out it had to wait. He'd waited for months a few more weeks wouldn't kill him. It will frustrate the hell out of him, but it wouldn't kill him.

"I do not want to talk to that charlatan," Ana mumbled through her teeth.

"You may not wish to speak to him but fuck… Ana, you need to. Do you have any idea what it's like to wake up to someone screaming for the pain to stop and begging for help? Christian was four when he became my brother… I was six and every night I'd hear his screams; he couldn't talk but at night when the nightmares started I'm sure the neighbors heard him. I know the neighbors can hear you." Ana's scowling look disappeared in a flash. Elliot took a deep breath. He didn't know what else to do; he had opened up old wounds accidentally, and he needed to fix it. If this is what it took to get Ana here, then so be it. "I thought I was used to it, but I was wrong. Call me selfish… I can't handle your screams. I live with you, not because of Kate. I live with you so I can wake you up when your nightmares start. Kate wakes up frozen, unable to move or say anything… all she can do is cry, cry for you. If you don't want to be here, then tell me what else I can do for you. I will cut off my right arm for you if that is what it takes." Elliot forced the words out ignoring the choking feeling in his throat and the sting in his eyes. He walked out and sat in the reception area hoping to god Ana would talk to Flynn, someone capable of hearing her story and helping her deal with it. He had never thought much of Flynn, as the man did nothing for Christian, but knowing what he now knew, pushing Christian would have been disastrous.

Ana stood frozen at the door as her tears fell. Flynn quietly handed her some tissues as she finally moved her limbs and staggered to his couch. Flynn watched silently, he had heard so much about the young lady and was determined to help her through it. He made the mistake of pussyfooting around with Christian. Not anymore; he was going to drag her out of the darkness she had fallen into when she pulled Christian out.

"Tell me about your nightmares," Flynn asked after Ana had composed herself.

"I don… I don't know where to start." Ana said clearing her throat.

"How about the reasons for your nightmare." Flynn tried.

"You don't beat around the bush, do you?" Ana mumbled uncomfortably.

"No, it will not benefit you for me to drag this out or allow you to do the same," Flynn said with an apparent conviction that made Ana sure he will pull her kicking and screaming out the darkness if need be.

"My mom's third husband, Stephen Morton was just there at the beginning, couldn't care less what I did or didn't do. He managed to talk me round, asked me to give him a chance and if at the end I still didn't want to be there he will speak to my mother into allowing me to go back to Montesano to live with my dad. I did, and he tried to rape me." Ana said with a shrug neither Flynn nor her believed.

"Okay, let's start with the part that doesn't give you nightmares and work our way to the part that has you screaming in your sleep." It was blunt and crass, but Ana didn't have time for him to mollycoddle her over the line. She was the kind of person that would soon have this buried in her subconscious and consider it dealt with until something else happened that forced her back to square one. "It's rare, but there are people with that ability to bury something and forget about it, and I mean, forget about it. Patience and time are right now, enemy number one and two and we both know that. You might consider them friends, in fact, I'd wager a bet and say you are desperately waiting for them because in time you will forget again. With that said let's start with the least and work our way to the most." Ana shut her jaw and shook her head at the English doctor.

Elliot had damn near fallen asleep when Ana exited the good doctor's office. "Ready to go?" He asked stretching his sore back. The drive home was quiet and uncomfortable despite having a great friendship neither had shown such vulnerability to the other. Elliot woke her from her nightmares night after night but Ana was blissfully unaware of his help as the nightmares stopped but she never woke from her sleep, not once.

"Thank you." She muttered and disappeared into her room. Elliot's only hope was that Ana would go back on her own accord because it was unlikely she'd willingly get into his truck again.


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: I have a severe injury, Traumatic Brain Injury due to an incident at work, and I am trying my best to adjust. It might take me a while to get back into the swing of things so be patient with me. I will not abandon any of my ongoing stories. I just need time to adjust to my new life, as there is no recovery just management. C.J.**

 **FINAL CHAPTER**

"I've only ever told Kate and Roz."

"But not the truth in its entirety," Flynn says.

"No, I start with every intention of telling them what truly happened, but the look on their faces changed my intention."

"What look?"

"Both Kate and Roz looked like they were praying, praying I'd say anything other than what they thought I was going to say. I immediately feel guilty… I find myself thinking I can't burden them with this." She shrugs.

"I'm praying for the truth, burden me," Flynn says with a little chuckle.

"I recorded Morton's conversation, but the fact is he caught me as I was leaving the house. He called me; I know he was most likely going to say something innocent… wish me a good weekend at Helen's, but after hearing what I'd just heard, I couldn't look at him. So I ignored him and kept walking that was until I lost my footing on the last step and went tumbling. He tried to help me, and I lost it. Told him to keep his filthy hands off me… he looked so hurt I almost found myself questioning what I'd just heard, but then his face morphed into something sinister and asked me if I'd heard his conversation. I took the opportunity to tell him what I thought of him. He just laughed… and out of nowhere backhanded me so hard, I went flying. I could taste the blood in my mouth. He got on top of me and slapped the other cheek calling me a cock-teasing bitch, followed by another hit and then another insult. When he wasn't hurling abuse at me, he was telling me how ungrateful I was after everything he'd done for me being more of a parent than Carla had ever been and I choose to repay him by calling him disgusting and a pedophile. Through all that he kept hitting me. How I stayed conscious is beyond me." Ana was surprised to find her eyes dry; she did not feel the need to cry, there were no tears left for the thirteen-year-old girl who got brutally beaten. She had gone over the story so many times with Flynn, it had lost the hold it had on her.

"You said he almost raped you." Flynn continued.

"I woke up in the hospital a few days later to find Ray sat next to me in the hospital room. That was the first time I remember crying, I don't remember doing so when Carla dragged me out of Montesano to live with Morton. Ray comforted me and told me the bastard looked far worse than I did." Ana lets out a giggle. "What Morton didn't know was that Helen and her brother Harry were waiting for me outside. I had taken so long Helen came to check on me, I'd left the front door open because I was only going to be a few minutes. Helen walked in to find Morton pulling my panties off and run back to the car to get Harry, who run into the house to find Morton with his pants off, cock out as he pulled my legs apart. Did I tell you Harry was a linebacker?" Ana asks. Flynn shakes his head. "Well, Harry is still a linebacker. He tackled Morton breaking his spine in the process. He broke just about every bone in Morton's body except his ankles I believe. Not a bad way to finish a story." Ana adds much to Flynn's delight.

"You've come a long way," Flynn shuts his notebook.

"I should have done this a long time ago. Ray tried, but I was just too stubborn for my own good." Ana admits.

"I believe you just needed to talk to somebody. Your perspective on what happen is healthy. You do not blame yourself for what happened; you know very well Morton was grooming you. Not once have you focused on the what ifs."

"There is no point," Ana adds emphatically.

"No, there isn't." Flynn takes a deep breath and smiles at Ana. "Technically we have nothing more to cover, but I would like to see you a week from today."

"I doubt I can afford you." Ana teases.

"It's pro bono." Ana lifts an eyebrow in shock.

"All this time it was free?" Flynn shrugs.

"I am not at liberty to discuss another patient, but your actions the day Christian told you about Lincoln woke both of us up. I can tell you about me. I was so concerned about Lincoln I forgot about the man sitting in front of me, and you snapped me out of it." Flynn admits.

"I didn't exactly go about it the right way," Ana admits sheepishly.

"Christian doesn't see it that way, and as long as he doesn't, who am I to say otherwise. You had your issues, issues that woke up with a vengeance that day."

"Well, thank you, Dr. Flynn," Ana says with a hug that catches Flynn off guard.

* * *

"Good afternoon Mr. Grey."

"Good afternoon Miss. Steele." Christian greets with a smile matching Ana's. "Having lunch with Roz." He asks trying to stamp down on the jealousy he could feel slowly crawling its way up.

"Well… no, I brought you lunch. I wanted to say thank you for your help with Flynn; Elliot told me it was your idea."

"You are welcome." He blurts out. "Would you like to join me for lunch?" Christian knew he looked eager, but he couldn't care less.

"Yes, thank you," Ana said blushing.

"Come in." Ana sat in the same spot she did when she interviewed Christian; she found herself smiling when she remembered her less than glamorous entrance. "Care to share."

"Just remembered the first time I walked in here." Christian chuckled at the thought. "How are you?" He asks opening the brown paper bag.

"I'm well, very well to be honest."

"Good to hear," Christian said with a nod. Elliot had told him Ana was doing well, but it was great to see it with his own eyes.

"How about you?" she asked with genuine interest.

"I'm busy; we have three acquisitions in the pipeline and they are all holding out hoping for more money. You meet some greedy people in this business." He groans.

"So, what is the plan? I take it you will not pay what they are asking for." Ana asks as they fall into comfortable conversation.

"Hell no, they are not bullying me into paying far more than the company is worth. I am trying to save jobs, and these people are looking to line their pockets. The sad part is they will rather watch the company fail, file for bankruptcy just to spite me. Fuck the employees as far as they are concerned."

"Can't you covertly tell the employees?" Christian smirked at the question.

"No, there is an embargo in place until the deal is done."

"Shame." Ana mumbles.

"Yeah it is." Christian concurs. "Tell me about you?" he asks just to keep talking to her.

"What do you want to know?" Ana replies with a sigh.

"You know life, your dad… stuff like that." He feels embarrassed at his lack of ability for easy conversation when it came to things of a personal nature.

"You haven't done this before have you?" Ana asks sensing his discomfort.

"No, even with my family it was difficult at first, but I'm getting there." He admitted. When it came to conversations with women outside of business it was still about business. Well, business of a sexual nature.

"Well, you already know the basics…" he lifted an eyebrow interrupting her.

"I thought a standard background check told you the basics." He was embarrassed and avoided her stare, but soon relaxed when he realized Ana found it rather amusing.

"Are you still seeing Flynn?" He asks changing the subject.

"No, but he's available when if ever need him." Christian nods happily with that arrangement.

"Do you still have nightmares?" Ana asks.

"Yeah," Christian answers with a shrug.

"Call me when you have a nightmare. I will be more than happy to sing you a lullaby. Though the side effects might be you going deaf." She jokes.

"I'll risk it." He says with a beaming smile.

Over the next few weeks, the two spent almost all of their spare time together, getting to know each other. "If I ask you out will you turn me down?" Christian asked as they took a stroll in his parent's backyard. Yeah, they acted like a couple most of the time, but he hadn't officially asked her out. In fact, the press had labeled them a couple already, after all, they had being seen together so often as they had dinner together regularly and attending charity galas. His mother had pulled him aside and berated him for not making things official with Ana.

"Why don't you ask?" Ana counters.

"Okay…" he turns to face her. "Ana, would you like to have din…"

"Yes, I'd love to." She answered interrupting him.

"Okay." He said with a beaming smile.

"Christian, before anything I have to tell you how sorry I am for …" he groans cutting her off.

"Ana let it go. You did me a favor; you pulled me out of the darkness. It was just the slap I needed. It truly woke me up to just how she and the lifestyle were controlling me. I lived in abject fear of anyone finding out about my lifestyle, and now I am free of it. Do you have any idea… actually, you do. God, Ana, I have never felt so light. I defended a pedophile to you, I may not have known your history, but what did I expect. I allowed her to work with my mother, whose charitable endeavors mostly involved children. They sat at the dinner table and ate with a pedophile. I made the decision; I chose not to see her that way, not them. They shouldn't have had to deal with her; I understand their anger." He sits on the grass and pulls Ana onto his lap. "I know it's easy to say I was a victim, and there were many before me, but the difference between them and me is that they came forward the moment her blackmail material was no longer an issue, I didn't because I still felt the need to protect and defend her. Talking to you was a real eye opener… so yeah I can't be angry with you, but if it will help you sleep better, then apology accepted. Now let it go." He runs his fingers through her hair as she runs hers through is stubble. "I need a shave." He conceded.

"I like it." Ana moans. He leans down staring at her lips; Ana leans forward, and they share a soft kiss.

"Can I ask you for a favor?" She asks shifting on his lap. Christian holds her still letting out a low growl.

"You can ask me for anything, but could you not move around so much." It takes Ana a few seconds but she gets it and blushes much to Christian's amusement.

"Sorry, I didn't realize." She mumbles.

"When you haven't had sex in over a year the smallest stimulation is not so small." Ana stares with her jaw on the floor.

"You haven't had sex in a year?" She asks disbelieving.

"No, I got rid of the playroom, and then as hard as I tried I couldn't get you out of my head."

"Oh." Ana mutters.

"You wanted to ask something." He says with a chuckle.

"Could you find out what happen to Morton and Carla?"

"Morton is still in prison. It's a low secure hospital as he's now a paraplegic. Carla lives in Georgia. She is married again and appears to be the perfect housewife."

"Thank you, my dad told me Morton took a real beating I had no idea it was that bad. As for Carla, I'm not surprised she married again, that woman cannot function on her own. Let me guess, he's rich." Christian doesn't miss the disdain in Ana's voice.

"Yeah, he's relatively well off," Christian confirms.

"I only looked into them because with us spending so time together you were bound to be the spotlight. The last thing you needed was either of them coming out of the woodwork." Christian admits.

"Understandable, I asked for the same reason." Ana wraps her arms around his neck, her fingers playing with the hair on the nape of his neck. He wraps his arms around her pulling her closer to him. "Grace seemed upset about not hosting a charity you have every year." Christian sighs.

"Yeah, it's the annual Coping Together gala. My mom decided it was best not to hold it this year. Most of the people she considered friends have more than shown their true colors this year. I will donate twice as much as last years total."

"That's great, at least, those who rely on the charity will still benefit with or without the gala," Christian smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "By the way, I'm off to New York in a couple of weeks if you are not too busy with running your empire would you like to come." She asks changing the subject.

"Whatever I'm doing can be postponed." The gleefulness in his voice is evident.

"Excellent," Ana adds with a giggle. Christian closes his eyes enjoying the feel of her in his arms, her laugh, her sigh of contentment.

* * *

"Christian." She moaned as his tongue languidly lapped at her pussy flicking her clit with every pass. "Oh… fuck… fuck… Christian." She moaned when he took her clit into her mouth. His fingers found that sweet spot and her walls tighten around his fingers. Ana gripped his hair as she rode his face till she came whimpering and shaking as he continued to suck on her clit.

Christian hovered over her as she tried to get her breath back. "You are positively breathtaking when you cum." He said as he smashes his lips against hers. Ana moans giving him access to her mouth. He eases himself inside her. "Fuck yes." He hissed. "You are so fucking tight." He rocked his hip gently inside her before pulling out slowly and slamming back in. Ana's back arched at the exquisite feel of Christian's cock in her. Christian anchored himself on his elbows and drove in and out of her.

"Oh God." She cried when he rolled his hips over and over again before resuming his relentless pace. Christian relished the sight of her, head thrown back, mouth open, labored breath as he fucked the ever loving shit out of her.

"Cum for me." He growled. Ana's dug her nails into his biceps as she came loud enough to wake the neighbors. "I love you so much." Christian whispers.

"I love you too." Ana moans as she wraps her arms around him.

They were going to get so much shit from Elliot come morning as he usually did every time they stayed at the condo, but right now they couldn't care less.

"Good morning, short stuff." Elliot greeted with a smirk.

"Elliot."

"Wore my little bro out, did you?" He chortled at his own joke.

"Do you want breakfast?" Ana asked followed with a smirk. Elliot grumbled but wisely kept quiet. Kate couldn't cook to save her life and well, missing out on Ana's feast of a breakfast wasn't worth any amount of jokes he had.

"Morning baby." Christian purred. Elliot was still having difficulty getting used to this side of his brother. He was an entirely different person around Ana. Since they got back from New York Christian had spent more time at the condo than he did. They were attached to each other, even now as Ana prepared breakfast his brother stood next to her watching her cook.

"Ana, can I borrow your hair straightener?" Kate asked sauntering into the kitchen. She came out after a few minutes without the hair straightener. "Elliot, can I talk to you?" She practically pulled him off the chair dragging him into her bedroom.

"What!"

"Is your brother planning on proposing?" Kate asked as she paced.

"No, they just started dating." He answered with a chuckle.

"Well, there is an engagement ring hidden in his socks at the back of one of the drawers." Elliot looked at her in shock.

"He is not messing around," Elliot said still in shock.

"I'd appreciate if you did not say anything to Ana." They both jumped at the sound of his voice. "What were you doing in my drawer?" Kate looked embarrassed.

"You are really going to ask her to marry you?" Elliot asked looking at him in awe.

"Yes I am, after all, Ray already gave me his blessing." He countered with pride. "And I know she will say yes… so why wait." He answered turning around and headed back to the kitchen. Elliot smiled like the cat that got the canary.

"What are you smiling about you are not the one getting engaged?" Kate said with a huff. Elliot just kept smiling; words couldn't express just how happy he was.

* * *

Having being forced out of the country with business for a week without Ana drove Christian crazy. It wasn't helped by the fact that Roz hijacked his phone calls with Ana more often than not. Christian stood up the moment the plane landed; he frowned and growled his way through the formalities before hightailing out of the plane and into his car. He lost count of the number of traffic violations he'd broken on the way to the condo.

Ana tossed and turned for hours before giving up and making herself a cup of tea; Christian wasn't due back till tomorrow evening, she, therefore, ignored the key in the door under the assumption it was Kate and Elliot. "Hello, baby." Ana damn near came in her panties before dropping the cup and jumping on him. Christian didn't waste a second dragging her off to the bedroom.

Ana nearly tripped over his trousers as she stumbled her way to the bathroom with the intention of joining him in the shower. She picked up his trousers with the plan of throwing it on her reading chair when the Cartier box dropped out of his pocket and landed with a thud. Christian had decided to take the ring with him when Kate had found it. He couldn't risk Ana finding it not after weeks of careful preparations he'd put into his proposal. "Shit." He muttered when he walked out of the bathroom to find Ana standing shock still with the ring in her hand. "There goes my rooftop proposal." He said with a nervous chuckle. Ana just stood there staring at the ring. "Ana… say something." He pleaded.

"It's beautiful." She whispered.

"That's a start." He inched closer to her.

"You have to speak to my father." She added.

"Already did." He countered.

"Wow…" she cleared her throat. "Emm… what next?" Since his plan was shot to hell, he got on one knee the towel around his waste falling off.

"Anastasia Rose Steele, words cannot do justice… I love you is not remotely enough to express what I feel for you, the desire, the longing, the adoration I have for you. I was lost in a sea of darkness, and you pulled me out at a risk to yourself. I love you; fuck do I love you. Please, will you do me the honor of spending the rest of your life with me? I promise you; you will not regret it." He didn't have time to wonder if his proposal was good enough.

"Yes." She said in near whisper. He was on his feet with her in his arms as he whooped and hollered. He put the ring on her finger smiling like a loon.

"We are engaged." He said proudly puffing out his chest.

"You do realize you are naked." She giggled as she admired his body

"You will be in a minute." He said as he ripped her camisole off followed by lace boy shorts. She was naked except for the diamond solitaire ring with the platinum band on her finger.

 _Now I just have to talk her into marrying me in a month or two at the latest._

 **AN: Thank you all for reading, following, and your reviews. C.J.**


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